


Sanctuary

by mage_girl



Category: Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Gen, Grief, Healing, Lots of conversations, adorable porgs, after the last jedi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-08 19:18:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13464825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mage_girl/pseuds/mage_girl
Summary: When the remnants of the Resistance need a safe place to stay, there is just one person Leia Organa has in mind to contact...In which conversations are had, friendships are made, the dead are remembered, and Porgs are too adorable for words.In which hope lives on and the flame of the Resistance burns true.





	Sanctuary

**Author's Note:**

> I needed to write what happened next because The Last Jedi absolutely killed me in the best of ways.
> 
> Extra special thanks to my husband who listened to me read each new part aloud to him. He's the best nerf herder in the whole wide world.

When one is very rich, it makes it much easier to make things disappear. Even a ship with the remainder of the Resistance on it.

 

Chewbacca skilfully pilots the Millennium Falcon into a bay, paws steady on the controls. Rey is seated next to him, pale but composed. Leia is next to her, leaning forward and listening intently to the chatter over the comms.

 

‘Yes… we’re docking now… there are…. ‘ Leia pauses and looks at Poe who grimaces and mouths a number to her. ‘There are around fifty of us and a number of small bird creatures.’ Leia’s face crinkles with amusement for the first time since their desperate flight from Crait.

 

‘I do bring the most interesting beings with me, don’t I? It’ll be a small party to meet you at first. Everyone else needs to rest until we get the logistics worked out,’ said Leia, nodding at Poe who tapped on a tablet and tucked it under his arm.

 

Chewie began the shutdown sequence with Rey, both of them flipping switches and toggles. Chewie muttered to her quietly as the lights turned off and the cockpit was lit by the glow of the outside lights.

 

‘I think we’re set,’ said Rey, glancing at Chewbacca for confirmation. He nodded and they followed Leia and Poe out of the cockpit.

 

The ramp lowered and Leia walked down it without hesitation. Poe followed closely, his eyes darting everywhere to take everything in. Finn and Rey walked side by side with Chewbacca leading the three droids who followed with varying degrees of excitement.

 

Leia stopped and smiled at the man in front of her.

 

‘Lando,’ she said, raising her hands to clasp his.

 

‘Leia… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I didn’t get your transmission in time,’ began Lando, bowing his silver head.

 

‘It’s OK. You’re here now. And we’re safe,’ said Leia.

 

Lando swallowed and looked past her. ‘Do I know any of these… Chewie??? Chewie!’ he exclaimed happily.

 

Chewbacca put his arms around Lando and hugged him tightly, muttering to him.

 

‘Yes… yes, this is much better than a chokehold,’ laughed Lando, his eyes wet. ‘You look well, my friend.’

 

‘Lando Calrissian!’ said C3PO, inclining his gold head towards Lando.

 

‘Threepio, you still keeping this lot in line?’ asked Lando. 

 

‘I do my best, sir,’ said C3PO with a touch of acerbity.

 

Artoo beeped at length and Lando rested his hand on Artoo’s domed head. ‘It has been too long, Artoo,’ said Lando.

 

BB-8 rolled up to Lando and beeped an inquiry.

 

‘That is Lando Calrissian. General Calrissian of the Battle of Endor,’ introduced Threepio. ‘He is a good friend of Master Luke… was a good friend…’ 

 

Lando turned to Leia. ‘Luke? Han?’ he asked, pivoting in place as he looked around.

 

‘Oh…. oh, Lando. We have so much to tell you,’ said Leia. ‘Let me introduce the rest of my people to you. And we need to get everyone off the ship. We have some people who need a med doc as soon as we can get them to one. I could stand to be reintroduced to a refresher unit myself,’ said Leia, gently.

 

‘I’m sorry!’ exclaimed Lando. ‘Let’s get your people into a safe place and get you clean and rested. There will be time to talk.’

 

Lando spoke into his comm unit. ‘Get the rooms ready and tell the med staff to be on alert. We’re sending people through.’

 

Poe nodded and spoke into his own comm unit. ‘All clear. Let’s start by bringing our wounded first. Everyone else can follow. We’ll get everyone situated.’

 

Lando turned back to Leia and offered her his arm. ‘General?’ he asked, flashing a grin.

 

Leia laughed. ‘Deja vu?’ 

 

‘Almost,’ said Lando softly. He escorted Leia through the bay doors.

 

**

 

Leia took a long shower, feeling the ache in every single bone. She wondered how much more she could stand. She lost her son, her husband, her brother. She lost beloved friends and comrades, lost young rookies and fighters with stars and fire in their eyes. She thought she could feel them breathing in the Force, contracting and expanding with every breath she took. It was distracting but at least she didn’t burst into tears. She had cried silently when everyone else was asleep. She could feel the absence of Luke deep inside of her. She’d grown used to having him nestle somewhere behind her breastbone. She could feel his presence and when he left, that empty space stripped the warmth from her soul. She didn’t know what happened just that her twin had been taken from her, somehow. 

 

It was almost agony to wake up and feel him again, to feel him in the Force. She understood, then, what he had done. She was livid, she was horrified, she mourned for the trauma her brother went through. But she could feel Luke through the Force again, could feel his love and care and shame. Luke didn’t have to tell her he was sorry about Ben. She could feel his guilt and apology with every beat of her heart. And when he died, when she felt him become one with the Force, it wasn’t exactly the same as when he’d cut himself off. She still could feel his presence. It soothed her and she knew he was there as often as he could be. She could reach out just a little, if she wanted. She needed time though. She’d lost so much.

 

When Han died, she felt her heart stutter; she could feel his life force wink out, it went nova in an instant. Every memory, every emotion flared in response and she could only gasp, could only scrabble for purchase. Her heart was already fragile with the absence of her brother and her son. Han leaving too and Chewbacca going with to honour his life debt was small comfort. She knew no other life than the one she’d been trained to do. 

 

But Han died, attempting to bring their son back home and Leia chose to remember him before everything curdled, everything fell apart. She remembered his smuggler grin and his bright eyes, brighter than any star. She remembered his arms around her and the thrill of arguing with him. She remembered being in the Millennium Falcon, watching the stars streak by, listening to Chewbacca mutter to himself nearby. There were good memories and Leia wrapped herself in them.

 

And now, she just wanted to hold the remaining few close to her and not let go. Poe, her defiant son of the heart, Rey, her feral Force child, and Finn, whose fear caused him to run when his heart begged him to stay.

 

Chewbacca told her he’d adopted all three of them, four if one counted Rose who was currently in a medically induced coma. Rose, the lodestone of the Resistance. 

 

Leia had smiled and her eyes teared up as Chewbacca rumbled that he’d always wanted a bigger family and later is better than never.

 

‘They need family and they need stability,’ Chewbacca said, tapping the console as he spoke.

 

‘Stability might be a bit difficult for us right now,’ commented Leia, blinking away tears.

 

‘Difficult but not impossible,’ said Chewbacca, gently. ‘We must reassess what we want to do, who we want to be. Everything has changed and is changing. The spark is still lit. We must make sure it doesn’t go out.’

 

And that was the problem, wasn’t it? Leia sighed as she brushed out her hair and braided it by rote. They were a rag tag lot, the remnants of a once large group. The Resistance was guttering, the flame almost out.

 

A knock at her door had her quickly putting on a long robe and overcoat and slipping her feet into fur lined boots.

 

‘Yes?’ she called.

 

‘Just me,’ came Poe’s muffled voice through the door. 

 

Leia opened the door to find Poe shifting in place, his ever present tablet tucked under his arm. He grinned and leaned against the door frame. 

 

‘This is a pretty nice place. I don’t remember when I was last able to take a hot shower and not have the water turn cold,’ remarked Poe. ‘May I come in?’

 

‘Of course. What is on your mind?’ asked Leia.

 

‘I was going over our roster of who’s still with us,’ said Poe, sitting on the large stuffed couch in her main room. 

 

‘How does it look?’ asked Leia, bracing herself.

 

‘We have forty six left. Plus around fifteen Porgs,’ added Poe.

 

Leia smiled despite herself. ‘That’s what those little things are called? Porgs?’

 

‘That’s what Chewie says. He said Luke lived with them… and they took a liking to Chewie. Stowaways, if you will,’ replied Poe.

 

‘We’re all stowaways now,’ murmured Leia. ‘Lando can shelter us for a little while but we need to figure out what to do next.’

 

‘We have some time. And we need to make sure those of us who are hurt are ready to move on with us,’ said Poe.

 

‘OK. Let’s take the opportunity to figure out our next steps, then. We’ve lost so many good people, Poe,’ said Leia.

 

Poe fidgeted on the couch, sighing heavily. He looked up at Leia and frowned, his mouth twisting unhappily.

 

‘What is it, Poe?’ asked Leia, crossing the floor to sit next to him.

 

‘I… I owe you an apology. Several apologies, as a matter of fact,’ said Poe. He looked at her again and then looked away. ‘What I did cost us good people, good ships…. my insistence to act first and not think it out. I’m really sorry.’

 

Leia took Poe’s hand in hers. ‘Apology accepted. You’re a pilot, the best we have. I don’t expect you to change your ways overnight. I expect you to learn from your mistakes.’

 

‘People shouldn’t have to die because of my mistakes,’ said Poe hoarsely. He blinked his eyes and wiped them with the cuff of his sleeve.

 

‘People died because of my mistakes. People died because of Luke’s mistakes,’ said Leia, gently. 

 

Poe’s mouth opened and closed. ‘Uh…’

 

‘Can’t argue with that, can you?’ asked Leia with a slow smile. 

 

‘That’s cheating, General,’ said Poe with a flicker of a smile. 

 

‘You’re learning already, Captain,’ said Leia. She leaned forward and squeezed his hand. ‘I know you can be a leader. I know you can take the time to think, to plan, then to execute that plan. It’s time to grow up and become who you are meant to be.’

 

**

 

Lando took Chewbacca to his own private suite and asked if he could come back when Chewbacca was done with a shower and any other grooming things.

 

Chewbacca grinned and nodded then stepped into the suite and quietly closed the door behind him.

 

Lando went to his own quarters and sat down at his desk, rubbing his face with his hands. Chewbacca had gently told him about Han and Luke and put an arm around him when he staggered from grief.

 

He couldn’t believe Han was gone. Chewbacca’s eyes were terrible to look at when Lando was told about Han’s death and who murdered him. Lando staggered against the wall, reeling in shock and outrage.

 

‘That… that was Kylo Ren? We never knew who that was,’ said Lando. ‘No one could get close enough to identify him. And we tried.’

 

Chewbacca merely grunted and continued walking in silence.

 

Lando looked down at his tablet and tapped the surface, scrolling through the information his assistant had uploaded. It wouldn’t be a problem taking in the refugees of the Resistance. Or those little bird like creatures.

 

Lando thought about the last time he’d seen Luke. Lando was visiting when Luke was planning the Jedi school. It was a giddy night with good food and better drinks. Leia was laughing and leaning against Han and Luke was all smiles. Ben was staring at all of them with wavering emotions of awe and pre-teen sulleness.

 

Lando wished he’d stayed in touch with all of them. He was so busy capitalizing on being General of the winning side, taking money and making more money. He’d learned his lessons from Cloud City. He wanted his own space again, a safe place to go to when things inevitably changed. This time, he’d find somewhere hidden, somewhere he and those who wished to keep their lives quiet could live. He invested in technology and minerals, helped retake Bespin and Cloud City and left with victory tasting sweet. 

 

It was intoxicating and he slowly but surely built not only one safe sector but another and another; archipelagos that ranged across the galaxy. When the First Order came into power, Lando and his people shut down their areas and went dark. When Leia contacted him, as Lando knew she would, he resurrected old smuggler paths and sites and helped the Resistance. And as the First Order spread across the galaxy, Lando quietly funded the ships and equipment needed by the Resistance. His people helped those who fled from the First Order as much as they could. They couldn’t save everyone; the destruction of the Republic was shocking and a wake up call.

 

And now, with the very last of the Resistance at his most secure planet, Lando’s mind whirled with plans.

 

He needed to give the Resistance three things it needed to survive:  money, people, and ships. The money wasn’t a problem; he had untapped accounts all over, most unknown to anyone. He could open one or two and siphon an almost endless amount of untraceable cash directly to the Resistance. That was the easiest part of the whole equation. 

 

Ships were almost as easy for Lando to get ahold of as well. He had ships in reserve because he knew that sooner or later, the Resistance would come calling. He had everything from X-Wings to mid sized fighters to a few frigates. It was simply a matter of letting his contacts know and they could funnel Resistance people in twos and threes to however many ships they needed. 

 

What nobody could foresee was instead of an entire fleet of ships, Lando only needed one large frigate that could also double as a medical cruiser. Or, to be savvy and Lando was nothing if not savvy, a mid sized ship and a mid sized medical frigate. It was never smart to put the most vulnerable and medical staff on the same ship.

 

And people. Here, Lando rubbed the back of his neck wearily. Again, he thought that when he’d see the Resistance, it would be like the days of the Rebellion. There would be ships and people and his outpost bursting to the seams. Instead, there was room to spare. It made his heart ache. He hadn’t had time to talk to Leia or anyone but he’d been around the block more times than he cared to think about. He knew by the looks on their faces and the injuries amongst them they’d reached the tail end of everything they had and had knotted the rope and held on with all their strength.

 

Lando could wish all he liked that things were different but it didn’t change the reality of the situation. And having Leia and Han’s son the head of the monstrous First Order made Lando’s head dizzy with betrayal and shock..

 

He tapped on his tablet and signed into a private bank account, checked the balance and grinned fiercely; this was a start.

 

**

 

It was amazing what a long soak in the refresher unit could do for a person, mused Poe. He changed into clean clothing, provided by Lando’s staff, and carefully untangled his hair. 

 

If Poe ignored the dark circles under his eyes, he looked pretty good. As long as Poe looked slightly to the right and didn’t focus his eyes so he looked at himself in the mirror, he could pretend he wasn’t in shock.

 

Christ. He was such a cock up. He could see every messed up decision he made since their disastrous flight from their base. He was so sure, so damned sure that he was right. Leia was right; it wasn’t worth the losses of his fellow pilots, his fellow fighters. He deserved that demotion and that slap. He was lucky he hadn’t been thrown in the brig. It might have saved even more of his friends. Keep him out of commission. He was a liability.

 

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. He opened it to reveal Rey standing there, fidgeting with her staff in hand.

 

‘I…’ Rey blushed and then pushed on determinedly. ‘I could hear you. Are you OK?’

 

Poe stared at her. ‘Is this a Force thing?’

 

‘Yeah… I mean, I wanted to see how you were doing but I could feel that you were upset…. so are you OK?’ repeated Rey.

 

‘Not really,’ admitted Poe. ‘Come on in.’

 

‘OK…’ Rey stepped into Poe’s room. ‘This is really nice, isn’t it? They have a lot of space for us, I guess. Finn’s got his own room, too but I told him I’d rather we all stay together. He wanted me to talk to you about it.’

 

‘You mean, just us share a room?’ asked Poe.

 

‘Yeah. There’s lots of space. My room has two bunk beds in it. And two bathrooms. Plenty for the three of us,’ said Rey, smiling happily. ‘Would you like to… I mean, share with me and Finn? We’d like to have you.’

 

‘Are you sure you’d want a mess up like me?’ asked Poe, bitterly.

 

‘Is that what this is about?’ asked Rey. ‘I don’t know what’s been going on since I was gone but I can feel you’re upset.’

 

‘Yeah. Upset. Guess that covers it, sure. Here’s Poe Dameron to save the day but wait, he doesn’t save the day, he gets his friends killed because his head is stuck so far up his ass, he’ll never see daylight!’ snarled Poe.

 

Rey sat down in a chair and just watched as Poe paced in front of her. ‘So tell me what happened.’

 

Poe pinwheeled his arms as he spun around. ‘I disobeyed direct orders and sure, was able to destroy a dreadnought but in the process lost all of our bomber ships and crew on board and to top off that, was demoted by General Leia oh and wait, just to add extra special icing, led a mutiny against Vice Admiral Holdo.’

 

‘You have been busy while I was gone,’ said Rey, gently.

 

Poe rolled his eyes at her. ‘And then, when I figured out what brilliant plan she conceived, I still had to get involved and help our transports get destroyed. Most of them, anyway. Me. Mr ‘I can fly anything’ Dameron.’

 

‘I’m thinking the First Order had something to do with the transports being destroyed,’ pointed out Rey.

 

Poe knuckled at his eyes, wincing as he scraped his knuckles over his eyelids. ‘Stop it. If I’d just listened for once…. instead of rushing into things and thinking I got all the answers…. things would have been different.’

 

‘And maybe that dreadnought would have destroyed most of our ships anyways later on. You don’t know the future, Poe,’ said Rey.

 

‘Stop…. stop making excuses for me. I behaved like I knew everything and I shoulda… I shoulda stopped when I was told to stop. I hear them at night,’ said Poe, softly. He turned and looked at Rey who nodded encouragingly.

 

‘I hear my friends at night. Snips and Pava and some other pilots. They tell me they can only see me as if on the other side of a great divide. That I’m alive and they’re not. They want to come back but they can’t and they call out to me,’ said Poe.

 

Rey frowned. ‘Sounds like something is messing with you. Or it’s your guilt.’

 

‘I’ve got plenty of guilt, then,’ said Poe. ‘And maybe I deserve to be messed with.’

 

Rey stared at Poe for a moment and then extended her hand, palm up. ‘Come with me,’ she said.

 

Poe looked at her and then at her hand, frowning slightly. He stood up and when she wriggled her fingers, he interlocked his with hers and allowed her to tug him out of his room.

 

They walked down the hall in silence and Rey turned left and they walked down another corridor before she stopped in front of a door. She pressed her palm to the reader and the door slid open.

 

‘Look who I found,’ she said, pulling Poe forward.

 

Poe saw Finn staring morosely out the tiny window that looked over the hangar. There wasn’t anything to look at other than ships and crew going about their business. Poe had watched from his own small window, eased by the familiarity of routine.

 

‘Hey, buddy,’ began Poe, crossing over to put a gentle hand on Finn’s shoulder.

 

Finn glanced up and Poe winced to see the dark circles under his eyes. He mentally kicked himself for not checking on Finn earlier; it seemed as though Poe wasn’t the only one chasing elusive sleep.

 

‘Finn, Poe has something to say to you,’ prodded Rey, poking Poe gently in his ribs.

 

‘Ack! I do?’ asked Poe.

 

‘You do,’ said Rey, firmly. ‘Something along the lines of I think I’m the sole reason we ended up in this situation, perhaps.’

 

At that, Finn stirred and Poe saw the embers of anger and guilt in his eyes. ‘Rey…’

 

‘No! You haven’t been sleeping and you are hardly eating. I know something is going on and while I’m not going to yank it out of your mind, thank you very much, I’d like to think you would be able to talk to us,’ said Rey, balling her hands into fists.

 

Finn’s eyes filled unexpectedly with tears and Rey’s feral edge quickly turned into warmth and protection as she stepped forward and put her arms around him. ‘Hey…. hey… I’m just worried. I’m so worried, Finn.’

 

‘It’s OK, Rey. I know you are,’ said Finn, wiping away tears. ‘I can’t stop thinking of how I messed things up.’

 

‘What do you mean?’ asked Poe, understanding why Rey brought him here. It wasn’t only for companionship because Finn looked like Poe felt; broken and hanging on by his fingertips.

 

‘I mean… if we hadn’t brought that slicer with us, we wouldn’t have betrayed the Resistance. We accomplished <i>nothing</i>, Poe. Rose almost got killed, we didn’t shut down the hyperspace tracker. Not a damn thing went to plan,’ said Finn.

 

‘Hey…. hey, you weren’t the only one who made that decision to go. I told you to, remember? We got others in on it. This is a shared responsibility, Finn. We messed up, yeah. But how were you to know that you would be betrayed?’ asked Poe.

 

‘I didn’t,’ admitted Finn, looking downwards and twisting the edge of his shirt with his fingers.

 

‘You did your best. It was a good plan on the surface but so much depended upon other things outside of our control. Vice Admiral Holdo said as much to me,’ said Poe, wryly.

 

‘What did she say?’ asked Finn, reaching out and clasping Poe’s hand in his.

 

‘She said it was ill-conceived with unknown odds of it actually happening. And she was right. Whereas her plan… it was all in our hands. The Rebel base was ours. The route was ours. If I’d only…. if I’d just trusted in what she said and trusted in Leia’s trust in <i>her</i>, things would have been different,’ murmured Poe. He sighed and bowed his head.

 

‘And I thought that I could turn Ben to the light… or at least, persuade him to not be who he was set to be,’ added Rey, a humourless twist to her mouth. ‘Look how that turned out.’

 

‘Overall, yours was the best one,’ pointed out Poe. ‘You were able to get away. And helped kill Snoke in the bargain. Sheesh. There’s nothing awful about that.’

 

Rey shrugged. ‘I still have this Force-damned link with him. It’s… inconvenient.’

 

‘Does he contact you?’ asked Poe, frowning.

 

‘Sometimes. He tries. I tell him that he’s not going to turn me. That despite me knowing about my parents, I’m not going to join with him and rule over the galaxy. He really didn’t learn anything from his grandfather,’ muttered Rey.

 

‘Huh. Anakin became Darth Vader who was eventually turned to balance the Force by his son, Luke Skywalker,’ mused Finn. ‘That should have been enough of a history for Kylo...for Ben.’

 

‘Should have,’ shrugged Rey. ‘But apparently not.’

 

‘You didn’t cause the deaths of quite a few people, Rey.’ Poe gave Rey a derisive look, his lip curling up slightly.

 

‘Hey, Poe,’ started Finn, giving Rey a worried look and squeezing Poe’s hand.

 

‘Not yet,’ returned Rey calmly. ‘We don’t know what my actions may have started.’

 

‘Ugh. That’s not very optimistic,’ said Poe, wrinkling his nose.

 

‘Master Luke wasn’t very optimistic…. although in the end, he did OK.’ Rey smiled, her lips curving up and her eyes crinkling. 

 

Poe and Finn exchanged looks and they both gazed at Rey, their melancholy set aside and curiousity showing.

 

‘What was he like?’ asked Poe. ‘I mean… we saw him… kind of, anyway. But it was him. Luke Skywalker, legendary Jedi master.’

 

‘You were right,’ laughed Rey, looking beyond the two, smiling at something or someone Poe and Finn couldn’t see.

 

‘Did he make you stand on your head? Did you lift rocks?’ asked Finn. 

 

Rey couldn’t help it. She sat down and howled with laughter, grief and joy and amusement warring within her.

 

‘Are you OK?’ asked Poe, gently letting go of Finn’s hand and sitting next to her, putting a cautious hand on her shoulder.

 

‘Yes… I really needed that!’ exclaimed Rey with another helpless giggle.

 

‘But what was he like, Rey? I know that there is a lot more to a person than… than being a legend,’ said Finn. ‘When Rose first met me, she had heard all about me, this Finn who deserted the First Order. But… I was sneaking away, actually. And she figured it out and she stunned me.’

 

Poe goggled at Finn. ‘That’s how you met?’

 

‘Yeah. That’s how we met. She lost her sister during that dreadnaught attack… and she let me know exactly what she thought of me for running away.’

 

‘I like her,’ declared Rey, staring at Finn and grinning as Finn blushed. ‘I like her a lot.’

 

‘So do I. And I remember Luke a little… I was a kid when he stopped by and visited my mom. He was… quiet. But I could feel him. Like, he felt like this enormous ocean, like I could drown so easily,’ said Poe. ‘But he was kind to me. He let me talk and told me what it was like piloting an X-wing. He let me see his lightsaber. He was pretty cool,’ admitted Poe.

 

‘He would have liked that memory a lot,’ said Rey. ‘He hated the thought of being a legend. Keep that memory with you instead of the awe. Luke would approve.’

 

‘I suppose you would know,’ murmured Poe. ‘I hadn’t seen him since I was a kid but you got to spend time with him.’

 

‘Yeah. I learned what I needed to but I still have more to learn. The Force is so huge,’ commented Rey. She sat down and placed her staff next to her.

 

‘Does it feel like… like a blanket?’ asked Finn, suddenly. He looked a lot better than when Poe first stepped into the room. If this togetherness helped Finn, then Poe was all for it. He felt better himself, more <i>present </i> than he’d been in days.

 

‘Um… I think it feels different to different people,’ replied Rey diplomatically. ‘Does it feel that way to you?’

 

‘Yeah. Like it’s something draped over me. I feel warm and safe… well, when there isn’t danger. When things aren’t right, it feels heavy and if I don’t pay attention, it feels as though I’m suffocating,’ explained Finn, gesturing with his hands while he talked.

 

‘How about you?’ asked Rey, turning slightly to include Poe in the conversation.

 

‘Me?’ asked Poe, surprised. ‘I… I don’t know.’

 

‘You don’t know how it feels or you don’t know if you are Force sensitive?’ asked Rey.

 

Poe took a moment to think. He remembered all the times he had a feeling, just that gut reaction and he pulled out of a spin, banked to avoid laser fire, knew just where to fly his X-wing. He may be the best pilot in the Resistance and he would bank a lot of that on genetics but…

 

‘Possibly,’ he said, drawing out the word slowly, still thinking it over.

 

‘We all don’t just blaze like a star going nova,’ said Finn, mildly. ‘Rey feels like a super nova to me. She is so bright… I don’t know why Leia gave her that tracker. She could probably find Rey through the Force.’

 

‘That’s not how the Force works,’ said Rey, absentmindedly, thinking of how much effort it took to Force project across the galaxy. She didn’t notice Finn’s wince or the way he pressed his lips together.

 

‘It takes a tremendous amount of effort to do that. Luke died from it,’ said Rey, softly. ‘I know you didn’t know him…. didn’t feel him become one with the Force but Leia and I did. He’s with us now.’

 

Poe gaped comically around, as if he could see Luke lounging on the couch nearby. 

 

Finn giggled and bit his lip. ‘Uh…. can we see him?’

 

Rey frowned. ‘Master Luke? Can they see you?’ she asked.

 

Silence met her question. Rey shrugged apologetically. ‘It’s not like he’s here for our entertainment. If he decides to show himself to us, he will. I think he’s looking after General Leia. He’ll check in with me from time to time. Maybe he’ll show himself later.’

‘OK,’ said Finn, nodding. ‘I can wait. Poe, you moving in with us, then?’ he added, looking hopefully at Poe.

 

‘Yeah, buddy. Well, me and BB-8 of course,’ amended Poe. ‘They kind of are a package deal with me.’

 

‘Of course,’ echoed Finn and Rey together. They looked at each other in surprise and laughed. Finn’s laugh was soft while Rey’s laugh was like a bell.

 

Poe sat down on the couch, after checking to see if Luke decided to sit there instead, and leaned back. ‘Why did you wanna leave, Finn?’

 

Finn sighed. ‘I was worried for Rey. I knew that if the First Order caught us, they’d keep us. And if Rey came back to us… she’d come back to the very people who wanted her dead. If anything, I’d take her far away from all of this.’

 

‘Doesn’t look like you ended up very far away,’ noted Poe.

 

‘Yeah. Funny thing was when it came down to it, I had a choice. I could take a side, I could take no side. I could run away, I could stand my ground. And Rose helped me see clearly that choosing to be with the Resistance, to finally throw in one hundred percent…. that’s what I wanted to do,’ explained Finn.

 

‘Wow. She sounds amazing,’ said Rey, fascinated by Poe’s mention of the young Asian woman she’d seen unconscious in a protective suit, floating in bacta.

 

‘She is amazing. Her sister died during the dreadnought run,’ said Finn, glancing worriedly at Poe.

 

‘Go on…. it’s OK,’ reassured Poe.

 

‘They were from a planet that had been stripped of its ore by the First Order and then… the very weapons they created with that ore, they tested on the planet. Many people died and the others fled, taking very little with them. Rose and Paige joined the Resistance because they knew first hand what the First Order did to planets and to people,’ explained Finn.

 

‘I can’t wait to meet her,’ said Rey. ‘She sounds like she’d fit right in with us! Do you think she’d like to share a room with us?’

 

‘Uh…’ Finn was at a loss. ‘I think so?’

 

‘She might want to get to know us first…. she only knows Finn. We don’t want to overwhelm her,’ suggested Poe.

 

Finn groaned. ‘Oh, yeah. She’ll love you both. I mean, until she figured out I was going to leave, she thought I was pretty cool.’

 

‘You are still pretty cool,’ reassured Rey. ‘I think if she knew why you wanted to leave, she’d understand.’

 

‘Maybe. I mean, taking out the First Order means you’re safe, Rey. No matter what. You can go anywhere and do anything and you would be safe,’ said Finn. ‘I should have thought of that.’

 

‘That’s OK. Finn, people forget that you were in the First Order. You know what they’re capable of doing. You aren’t running because you’re a coward. You’re running because you know what happens if they catch you,’ said Rey. 

 

‘Still. It looked bad. Me, the so called hero of the Resistance. Running,’ said Finn, flatly.

 

‘Well, you aren’t running anymore. And that’s what counts. Besides, you tried your best. You ended up putting yourself in great danger, right on Snoke’s ship. You were on the same ship as me,’ said Rey, tapping the arm of her chair thoughtfully.

 

Finn’s eyes widened as did Poe’s. ‘Wait… you were there, too?’ asked Finn.

 

‘Yeah. I was up where Snoke was. Ben took me there to meet him,’ said Rey, swallowing. ‘It was unpleasant.’

 

‘Yeah. It would be,’ whispered Finn. ‘What was he like? Snoke?’

 

‘Not as large as I thought he would be…. not from what I saw in Ben’s mind. But he was…. he could peel my thoughts away like an onion, simple and elegant. I could resist Ben but I couldn’t resist Snoke invading my mind,’ answered Rey, shivering.

 

Finn shook his head. ‘I can’t believe you got the jump on him. He was so sure he had you.’

 

‘It was a master stroke, that’s true,’ agreed Rey. She smoothed back the wisps of hair that perpetually curled around her ears and forehead. ‘Ben let him think he was going to kill me.’

 

‘He was supposed to kill you,’ said Finn.

 

‘Yes,’ said Rey. ‘But he wanted me to join him…. to remake everything. Tear the old down and leave the past behind.’

 

‘Huh. That’s the thing about the past, though. You can’t just leave it behind. It’s a part of you and if you don’t come to terms with it, it’s gonna come back and mess everything up,’ said Poe.

 

‘Like it messed things up for Ben… and for Luke… and for Han,’ said Rey, softly.

 

‘General Leia…. she shoved things in a box and sealed it shut. She’s brilliant at this leadership stuff and tactics but that doesn’t always translate well to relating to people,’ said Poe.

 

Finn stared at Poe in disbelief. ‘You like her!’

 

‘I do like her. But that doesn’t mean I can’t see things clearly. At least, when I’m not rushing into situations,’ said Poe, voice as dry as the desert.

 

‘Point given,’ admitted Finn. ‘I had to come to terms with my past. I think I still am coming to terms with my past. It’s hard, though. It’s hard being afraid.’

 

‘Being afraid was part of everyday life for me,’ said Rey. ‘Jakku was about live or die, eat or be eaten…. there was little mercy and what passed for mercy was brutal. I had to push the fear away so I could survive. But not dealing with it? I’m right with you.’

 

‘Guess we’re meant for each other, huh?’ asked Poe with a grin.

 

Finn and Rey looked at him in surprise and then they both began laughing.

 

‘It was fate,’ said Rey, her mouth twitching.

 

‘It was the Force,’ said Finn, nodding decisively.

 

Poe rolled his eyes; he could feel the dark cloud that had enveloped him for days lifting. He felt as though he could breathe again. It felt good.

 

**

 

Lando hosted a quiet dinner with just Leia and Chewbacca. He was still wrapping his head around the fact that both Han and Luke were dead. The last time they’d all eaten at Lando’s table was a couple years after Lando had purchased the mining rights to a gaseous planet in the outer rim. 

 

Lando wanted to show his friends he’d not only recovered from what the Empire did to him and his people but prospered. He also wanted to make amends for that horrific lunch long ago. He remembered he was barely able to swallow his food, feeling every bit the Judas. He didn’t know how Leia and Han managed to eat and drink with Vader looming over them. 

 

Lando pulled out all the stops for what he privately called the Apology Banquet. He had a six course meal and within the courses were dishes from Alderaan, from Corellia, and from Kashyyyk. And because Lando was nothing if not thorough, there was a pitcher of blue milk just for Luke. 

 

It was worth it to see Luke’s eyes light up as he poured his first glass. It was even more worth it to see the look of disgust on Han’s face and Leia’s amusement at Han’s reaction. 

 

Lando was thrilled that his friends accepted his olive branch without reservation. The cost and time put into planning, procuring, and making the food was well worth it; a million times over if Lando wanted to be a sentimental man.

 

Now, Lando sat at a table with Leia and Chewbacca, acutely missing Han’s grumbling and Luke’s wry observations. The food was austere; he hadn’t time to ship in specialty ingredients and he had the feeling Leia wouldn’t have wanted him making the effort. She wanted any money and resources going to keeping the Resistance alive. It would have been an obscene extravangence.

 

Still, Lando managed one Corellian hot dish, one Alderaan salad, and he had some fruit from Kashyyyk that he knew Chewbacca especially liked. It was the least he could do.

 

Leia smiled at him as she poured dressing over her salad and took a large serving of the hot dish.

 

‘Lando, did you spice this just right? You know Han would complain if it wasn’t Corellian enough,’ reminded Leia, nudging Lando playfully.

 

‘Oh don’t get me started on Han and his disdain for non spicy food,’ moaned Lando. ‘Hey, Chewie. Remember that time we were trying to get some Wookee stew at that one stall? When you, me, and Han were doing a run to complete negotiations for those weapon systems?’

 

Chewbacca rolled his eyes in response.

 

‘Yeah, you remember. So we’re at this stall and it’s advertising stew from Kashyyyk. It smelled pretty good, to be fair. Even Chewbacca thought it might be promising. What we needed to remember and forgot was that Malla made Han’s stew special. We got Wookie stew, Han got this ungodly mashup of stew and spices that would make your eyes water.’ Lando poured himself a glass of wine and took a sip.

 

‘Let me guess. Han took one bite of the stew and said it was awful,’ said Leia with a small smile.

 

‘Yeah. And then he wanted his money back. Said that he wasn’t going to pay for stew that wasn’t authentic,’ said Lando, shaking his head.

 

Chewbacca snickered and yodeled amusement.

 

‘Yeah. Laugh it up, as Han would say. The vendor wasn’t going to give the money back because Han had eaten half the bowl before slowing down. And Han was getting pissed because the stew was OK but it wasn’t Malla’s stew.’ Lando covered his eyes with one hand and groaned.

 

‘So what happened in the end?’ asked Leia, taking another bite of Corellia hot dish and wincing slightly.

 

Lando offered Leia some wine which she took with alacrity.

 

‘I told Han that if he was going to start a galactic incident over Wookie stew, I was gonna leave him to cool his heels in a holding unit. I had my damn dignity, you know. And, I reminded him that Malla made his stew special for him and that it tasted pretty good otherwise. Like regular Wookie stew,’ answered Lando.

 

Chewbacca added his own comments, gesturing with one hand while gripping his own wine glass with the other.

 

‘Right, Chewie. Han calmed down, apologized to the vendor, admitted that the spices were very good, and then asked if the vendor had any Corellian spices he could add to the remainder of Han’s bowl.’ Lando took another bite of hot dish and savoured the slow burn on his tongue.

 

‘How did that go over?’ asked Leia.

 

‘Better. The vendor lit up, grabbed some spices and put them in Han’s bowl and added some more stew on top. Han stirred the stew, took a bite, and said, ‘Well, that’s more like it!’ Everyone was happy.’ Lando chuckled in remembrance.

 

‘So no holding unit for Han, a happy food vendor, and we got the weapons system deal we wanted,’ concluded Leia.

 

‘Yup. A day in the life of two scoundrels,’ said Lando with a wink..

 

‘That sounds about right.’ Leia smiled at Lando, took another bite of hot dish and shook her head. ‘I’ve never gotten used to the heat but it tastes so good.’

 

‘How is everyone settling in?’ asked Lando, after a comfortable silence. Chewbacca had finished his meal and was idly peeling the skin off one of the fruit. Leia was poking at the remains of her salad and was eyeing the remaining fruit with a judicious gaze.

 

‘All those who needed medical help are in medical and have been treated and released or are in beds. They’re comfortable. Thank you, Lando,’ said Leia, sighing and picking up a piece of fruit.

 

Lando handed her his utility knife which she accepted with a murmur of thanks and began efficiently peeling the skin.

 

‘You’re welcome. The young lady, Rose, I believe her name is…. is resting in a bacta suit. My med team told me she’s healing nicely and hopefully will be ready to leave it in a couple of weeks.’ Lando poured himself another glass of wine and gestured toward Leia with the bottle.

 

Leia nodded and held out her glass. ‘That’s good. She saved one of our own. And she lost her sister when we fled our base. I want her treated well.’

 

‘You have my word,’ promised Lando. ‘She’ll heal without any complications.’

 

‘Everyone else is settled in. There has been some shifting around. We’re used to being in close quarters…. our people are bunking together as your rooms are quite generous. You have approximately forty percent of your space back,’ Leia went on, taking a swallow of wine. ‘We don’t mind sharing space.’

 

‘There isn’t any need for that. We have the room,’ said Lando. Left unsaid was there would have been room for three to four times as many beings who disembarked from Han’s ship. There should have been more.

 

Leia nodded, aware of what passed unspoken between them. ‘I know you do. Still. Use your quarters how you see fit, Lando. We don’t want to be too much of a burden.’

 

‘You’re never that,’ said Lando, fiercely. ‘Leia, the transmissions were bounced from signal to signal. I only received them after it was all said and done. It never occurred to me to have eyes on Crait. I should have done better’

 

Leia shook her head. ‘How would you know? And there are other strongholds in other systems. Were you going to track them all?’

 

‘I could. I have the resources,’ said Lando, stubbornly. 

 

‘You did exactly what you needed to do when you could. You offered us sanctuary, no questions asked. You threw open your doors and gave us all the resources you have. I don’t doubt you have more resources waiting,’ said Leia, a knowing gleam in her eye.

 

Lando smiled. ‘I might.’

 

‘Of course you do,’ agreed Leia, exchanging amused looks with Chewbacca. She popped a slice of fruit into her mouth and sighed happily.

 

‘Leia, I have… I have the funds and ships… I can get you people, too. But what is the next step? What happens?’ asked Lando.

 

‘We need to regroup. We need to…. ‘ Leia paused and looked at Chewbacca.

 

Chewbacca frowned and spoke at length, using a Wookie dialect that Lando was fluent in understanding. 

 

‘We need time to breathe,’ began Chewbacca. He grunted and took a bite out of his fruit, chewing contemplatively.

 

Lando and Leia waited patiently, Leia cutting bits of fruit away from the core and daintily eating them.

 

Chewbacca swallowed and took a sip of water and then continued. ‘Our people need to heal, we need to plot out those strongholds, we need to find a new place to operate. Most of all, we need to figure out how to cloak ourselves from their new technology.’

 

‘What new technology?’ asked Lando.

 

‘They have a way to track us through hyperspace now. A device on their lead ship. That’s what Rose and Finn discovered and that’s what they did, though it ended in failure. They went to the lead ship and Rose was going to shut down the device,’ explained Chewbacca.

 

‘They can track a ship through hyperspace? But…. that means no ship is safe. Hyperspace was the one sure way to lose an Imperial ship and a First Order ship after that,’ protested Lando. 

 

‘We got to figure out a way to cloak ourselves despite that device,’ repeated Chewbacca. ‘That’s why Rose needs to heal and to wake up. Leia and I feel she could figure out a way. But she needs to be awake and well.’

 

‘Do we have the luxury of time?’ asked Leia. ‘After their defeat on Crait, the First Order is going to be more keen than ever on tracking us.’

 

‘Sure. But they just had their Supreme Leader die and your son,’ here Lando took a ragged breath. ‘Your son,’ he went on, doggedly, ‘was just defeated by your brother. A public humiliation. He has to regroup as well.’

 

‘He has to regain his dominance,’ said Chewbacca, softly. ‘He has to take control and has to show he’s in charge.’

 

‘Do you think he can track us?’ asked Leia.

 

Chewbacca shook his head. ‘No. Vice Admiral Holdo decimated their most powerful ships. They have to rebuild their tracking device. We’ve jumped three systems and had no sign of pursuit. Rey was keeping watch. There was nothing in the Force.’

 

‘So we have some time,’ concluded Lando while Leia nodded in agreement.

 

‘We have some time,’ repeated Chewbacca, firmly.

 

Lando scrubbed his hands over his face, feeling the rasp of hairs against his palms. It was time to shave again. ‘OK. So a month, tops? And then we need to be on the move again?’

 

Leia cocked her head to one side. ‘’We,’ Lando?’

 

Lando gives her his smuggler smile, custom honed through years of use, of flattery and honeyed words accompanying it. ‘I like to keep my hand in the game, Leia. An out of practice smuggler is a dead smuggler. I don’t plan on dying anytime soon.’

 

Leia’s smile is more constrained, recent grief sharpening it razor thin. ‘None of us do, Lando,’ she said quietly.

 

Lando nodded and then said, ‘Why don’t I take a walk with Chewie and he can give me the rundown on supplies and things. I don’t want to bother your young man right now.’

 

Leia’s smile broadened and looked more natural. ‘Oh, Poe. He’s not <i>my </i>young man. He is going to be leading one day, sooner than he thinks. He’s got so much potential.’

 

‘When he isn’t costing you entire ships and crew?’ asked Lando, his tone sharp. ‘He needs to learn quickly. The First Order isn’t going to wait too much longer.’

 

‘I know. We just need a little more time,’ said Leia. She looked out the window, at the nebulous clouds that surrounded the planet. It reminded her of Cloud City and before the danger, before Vader happened, it was beautiful to look at the clouds and the ever shifting colours reflected against them. She was so young then, a little like Poe herself. 

 

‘I can get you that little bit of time. I’m sorry to hear you lost your other senior staff. Ackbar…. I miss him.’ Lando grimaced and looked out the window as well.

 

‘Yes… he was a pillar of strength for us. You know what they said, the Mon Calamari were the soul of the rebellion. It doesn’t matter what rebellion it is, they have always been one of our strongest supports,’ murmured Leia. ‘I miss him, too.’

 

‘Do you remember that time, when we went to that diplomatic function and they didn’t know what to feed him?’ asked Lando, chuckling at the memory.

 

‘Lando!’ chided Leia, biting her lip.

 

‘I know. It was really awful. And Ackbar just looked at them and said, ‘It’s OK. I wasn’t related to them,’’ snickered Lando. His snicker turned into a full out belly laugh when Leia helplessly began laughing.

 

Chewbacca barked his own amusement and grinned. ‘I remember Han rolling his eyes and wondering just how badly we needed their alliance.’

 

‘What did Ackbar call that afterwards? The Calamari Incident, I believe. He always did have a ridiculous dry sense of humour,’ noted Lando.

 

Leia laughed again and then yawned. ‘I think the wine has finally hit. I’m going to head to my quarters and read some entertaining reports. Just the thing to help me on my way to sleep.’

 

‘All right. Chewie, you got some time?’ asked Lando.

 

Chewbacca nodded and they waved goodbye after Leia hugged them both and headed out.

 

Lando turned to Chewbacca and pulled out his tablet. ‘OK. let’s take a look at some numbers. I think we have a couple of ships with your name on it.’

 

Chewbacca looked at the information on the tablet. ‘One medium frigate will hold everyone comfortably… but we should have a medical ship again.’

 

‘Agreed. Do you need a few X-wings as well?’ asked Lando.

 

‘I’m sure Poe would appreciate it,’ commented Chewbacca with a grin. ‘We have a few pilots left. How about seven.’

 

Lando whistled. ‘Seven isn’t a whole lot, is it?’

 

‘It’s better than zero. Which is where we would have been at,’ replied Chewbacca.

 

‘Are you angry at Poe?’ asked Lando. He tapped on the tablet and nodded at the green confirmation colour that flashed up at him.

 

‘For his decisions?’ asked Chewbacca. ‘I wasn’t there. I didn’t know what was going on.’

 

‘You know enough,’ said Lando.

 

Chewbacca sighed. ‘In light of what happened with Han, Poe’s antics don’t have quite the same weight. Yes, he was fool-hardy and short-sighted. But he didn’t have malice driving his actions.’

 

‘He might not have but he was determined to defy orders from Leia and through Leia, Vice Admiral Holdo,’ pointed out Lando.

 

‘I think he learned a harsh lesson. His friends are dead. And I’ve seen his face when he thinks no one is looking. He’s grieving and he’s blaming himself for everything that happened,’ revealed Chewbacca.

 

‘Everything isn’t his fault. Just the parts he was involved in, directly. There are others who are as responsible,’ said Lando.

 

‘Poe is young and he takes the history of not only the Resistance but the Rebellion seriously. He acts as he’s always been taught. He is now being taught differently but it takes time for him to see the wisdom in it,’ said Chewbacca. He walked to the lounge and sat down, sighing.

 

Lando followed, sitting down next to Chewbacca. ‘That is remarkably perceptive but I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.’

 

Chewbacca smirked at Lando, fluttering his long dark lashes. ‘You’ve learned over the years, old friend.’

 

Lando snorted. ‘Lose a ship to a so called unintelligent beast once, a person should learn only once. That’s when I knew getting to know you would be one of the smartest things I’d ever done.’

 

Chewbacca tipped his head in acknowledgment and said, ‘Our young ones have all grown up on the stories of the Rebel Alliance. It’s been years since we fought the Empire, decades since Luke turned his father to the Light side again.’

 

‘Do they still talk about the Battle of Endor?’ asked Lando, curious.

 

‘They do. They talk about the fight above Endor, the fight on the forest moon itself…. the fight between Luke and Darth Vader…. although no one really knows how that ended,’ answered Chewbacca.

 

‘How about destroying the Death Star? Anyone say anything about that?’ asked Lando.

 

Chewbacca chuffed. ‘Yes, you look just as dashing then as you do now, oh General Calrissian.’

 

Lando ducked his head and laughed. ‘OK, I deserved that one. But huh. I guess I can see why you’re more lenient on Poe and these other young ones than I would initially be.’

 

‘It helps that I’d seen Poe grow up… up to the point where Han had left for good, I was able to see quite a few of these youngsters.’ Chewbacca shook his head. ‘We never should have left.’

 

‘Seems like it was the thing Han needed to do at the time,’ said Lando, quietly. ‘He wasn’t ever good at talking things out. Blasting his way out was his preferred method.’

 

‘Remember that time negotiations broke down and Han just whipped out his blaster and cleared the area? And what he said to us?’ asked Chewbacca.

 

‘Sure do. ‘Next time, when I say bring a damn blaster, listen to me!’’ laughed Lando. ‘He didn’t speak to me for a few days after that. He got singed pretty good.’

 

‘We’re lucky we made it out with the skin of our teeth. That deal went bad fast. Damn Imperials,’ muttered Chewbacca.

 

‘How are you doing?’ asked Lando. He rubbed his hands on his pants and looked Chewbacca resolutely in the eye. ‘You really haven’t had a chance to think about everything.’

 

‘Everything has happened so fast. After Han, it was fly to find Luke…. after that, it was fly to rescue the last of the Resistance from Crait… and then evade the First Order and find a beacon you left us… and then come here. I haven’t had much of a chance to even talk to Malla.’

 

Lando whistled. ‘Careful, there. Not much fun having an angry Wookie wife.’

 

‘Indeed. No, she knows what’s been going on. I plan on stopping home after we get this done. I need time there,’ said Chewbacca. ‘Being with my wife will help.’

 

‘How about Lumpy?’ asked Lando. ‘Or is he doing something top secret with the Resistance somewhere else?’

 

‘He’s doing something. Last I heard, he was holed up somewhere safe. I’ll send a transmission out before I leave here. He might come back home if he knows I’ll be there,’ said Chewbacca.

 

‘That would be nice, huh? You could see your son. Bet he forgot what you looked like,’ teased Lando.

 

‘Well, I would send him messages from time to time. Han wasn’t…. he needed to cut ties cleanly where he could. He still talked to Malla and Lumpy but he refused to talk to them about Ben or Luke,’ said Chewbacca.

 

‘Did you see Luke?’ asked Lando.

 

‘Yeah. I yelled at him,’ said Chewbacca with great satisfaction evident in his voice.

 

Lando laughed until tears rolled down his cheeks. ‘I’m glad,’ he managed finally. ‘What was he thinking, disappearing on us like that?’ he added plaintively.

 

‘He was thinking he messed everything up…. that he didn’t need to add any more than he already had. As far as he was concerned, the Skywalker Legacy was unwanted, a burden, and a taint on the galaxy.’ Chewbacca scratched his chest idly and continued. ‘Luke cut himself off from the Force, intending to die without anyone knowing it.’

 

Lando stared at Chewbacca. ‘What,’ he growled lowly.

 

‘You know Skywalkers. Always with the grand gestures,’ shrugged Chewbacca. ‘Artoo managed to get him out of his rut…. reminded him that once, many many years ago, he saved a Princess and brought hope to the galaxy. It wasn’t all darkness and death.’

 

‘Good for Artoo, then.’ Lando gave a thin smile, leaned his head back and closed his eyes. ‘I can’t believe Han is gone. I’m…. I’m still thinking about that, honestly. Never thought it would end like that for him.’

 

Chewbacca tilted his head and asked, ‘How did you think he’d die?’

 

‘Well, a blaze of glory, knowing Han. One last heroic act before dying. Guns blazing, Millennium Falcon kicking ass…. all that,’ answered Lando.

 

‘It might not have been as showy as you would have liked but he was heroic,’ said Chewbacca, quietly.

 

Lando opened one eye and turned his head sideways so he could peer at Chewbacca.

 

‘Meaning that he went to save his son,’ answered Chewbacca. ‘He never thinks of the odds…. never thinks he won’t make it through. That’s not Han. He went out on that bridge hoping, thinking he could reach his son.’

 

‘Damn. You’re right… you’re right,’ repeated Lando, closing his eye and turning back and slouching even more against the back of the couch. ‘Did you think he’d succeed?’

 

Chewbacca shrugged. ‘I might have wished it. Leia wanted him back so much. She told me she’d made a mistake, sending him away. That she thought Luke could handle it, could help Ben master the Force. She didn’t expect Snoke.’

 

‘Do you know when he was able to influence Ben?’ asked Lando.

 

‘We’re not sure. It must have been when he was younger… he was always fretful. Always wanted to be around us. I thought he just wanted to bond closer. Some Wookie children are like this. They want to be with their parents more than others do.’

 

‘Ben’s not exactly a Wookie but I understand why you’d think that. It’s easier to think he just needed to be around more than to think there was outside meddling,’ said Lando.

 

‘Outside meddling indeed. When Ben went to the Jedi school, Luke assured Leia that he’d settle down, that he’d learn to use the Force. Leia wanted Ben to have training. Han wanted his son to not be so afraid,’ explained Chewbacca.

 

‘Huh,’ grunted Lando. ‘Do you think he was afraid of Snoke?’

 

‘I think he was afraid of how powerful the Force was and Snoke tapped into that, fed him ideas of his Skywalker genealogy. Told him Vader would be proud of him if he embraced the Dark side of the Force,’ said Chewbacca.

 

Lando rubbed his hands over his face and groaned. ‘Suppose he didn’t bother to tell Ben that Vader turned against the Emperor in the end.’

 

‘As if,’ snorted Chewbacca.

 

‘Did you ever think it would end like this?’ asked Lando. ‘You and me the only two left…. Han and Luke gone. Leia holding on but…. she looks so fragile.’

 

‘She is fragile. But don’t underestimate her,’ warned Chewbacca.

 

‘I know better than that,’ retorted Lando. ‘Still. I worry for her. She’s the last one left, isn’t she?’

 

‘She’s one of the last ones. You’re still here. I’m still here,’ responded Chewbacca.

 

‘True. But it’s never been easy being responsible for a legacy. Luke no longer has to struggle with his. Leia bears the brunt of their bloodline alone,’ said Lando.

 

They sat in silence for a while and then Lando stirred, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes. ‘I better get some sleep. I want to make sure your ships are ready and equipped. I’ll check in with my medical staff tomorrow as well. I hope your injured people are on their road to recovery.’

 

‘Thank you,’ said Chewbacca. ‘On behalf of all of us, thank you for your help.’

 

Lando flashed a smile that reminded Chewbacca of long cons and monetary rewards beyond human comprehension. ‘Friend, this is just the beginning.’

 

**

 

The days passed by. The frigate which was re-named <i>Legacy</i> (and Lando absolutely did not side eye a chuffing Chewbacca-- OK he totally did) was ready to go. The medical frigate which was re-named <i>Hope</i> was stocked with all the supplies the Resistance needed. The X-Wings were refueled and their weapons systems were updated. 

 

Rose woke up to see Finn smiling at her happily. She smiled back and twined her fingers with his. 

 

‘Hey… glad you’re awake. A lot has happened,’ whispered Finn.

 

‘You going to fill me in?’ asked Rose, clearing her throat and looking pained.

 

Finn grimaced and reached for a glass of water, moving the straw so Rose could sip from it without pain.

 

‘Better. We OK?’ asked Rose.

 

‘We as in…. everyone? Or us?’ asked Finn.

 

‘Both,’ said Rose with a wry smile. She squeezed Finn’s hand gently and looked at him expectantly.

 

‘Oh. Well, Everyone who was still left made it out. Rey…. Rey helped us escape in the Millennium Falcon,’ began Finn.

 

Rose squeaked, her eyes wide. ‘We…. I was on the Millennium Falcon?’

 

‘Yeah.’ Finn grinned; he was comforted by Rose’s reaction. ‘Yeah, Chewie even made a special bed up for you.’

 

‘Chewbacca? As in Han Solo’s friend, Chewbacca?’ asked Rose, her voice going even higher.

 

‘Breathe,’ murmured Finn. ‘Yeah. He was worried about you. He made sure you were stabilized before he went up to the cockpit to pilot the ship with Rey.’

 

‘Wow. Chewbacca took care of me,’ said Rose, slowly, a wide smile on her face, her eyes sparkling with awe.

 

‘Yeah. And we all took turns watching over you until we got here. Then you were brought to the medical wing. I’ve been waiting for you to wake up.’

 

‘That was really nice of you, Finn,’ said Rose. She glanced down at their clasped hands and looked back up at Finn.

 

‘As for us…. thanks for saving me. I was really being stupid. I wanted to show the Resistance I could make a difference, I could make up what I messed up. Guess I couldn’t even do that right. I’m sorry, Rose,’ said Finn, his voice lowered.

 

‘It’s OK. If anything, it’s a shared responsibility,’ pointed out Rose. ‘You, me, Poe, anyone who helped us leave without detection. We were so sure we could do this and didn’t think it through.’

 

‘Poe and I have been talking…. he’s working through his own stuff, too. He… uh, he’s afraid to meet you,’ confessed Finn.

 

Rose took a sharp breath. ‘Oh. Oh, he’s the one who went on with the attack against the dreadnaught, right?’

 

‘Yeah,’ said Finn, softly.

 

‘When Paige and I joined the Resistance, we knew we might not make it out alive. We saw what happened to others who went against the First Order. We saw our friends and neighbors slaughtered in front of our eyes. We knew the odds,’ said Rose.

 

‘Still. Paige might still be alive if…’ Finn trailed off. ‘I should have Poe talk for himself.’

 

‘I need some more time before I can talk to him. I still…. I miss Paige so much. And yeah, I knew something like this might happen but I never thought it would be because one of us messed up,’ said Rose.

 

‘That’s why Poe’s afraid to meet you. He takes full responsibility for what happened to Paige. He doesn’t know how to make it up to you,’ said Finn.

 

‘Well. First is to learn from it. He needs to learn from it or Paige’s sacrifice meant nothing. He needs to be a better leader, to really think things through and not be so hot headed, so impetuous,’ said Rose. She rolled her eyes then and laughed softly.

 

‘What is it?’ asked Finn, wrinkling his brow.

 

‘I better follow my own advice. I really didn’t think things through. I mean, sure, we could disable that tracker but… the odds were so high. The chance of getting caught was…. it really wasn’t any surprise that it happened,’ said Rose.

 

‘You’ve been thinking about this,’ noted Finn.

 

Rose gave Finn a small smile. ‘A little. I haven’t had a lot of time to think but the first thing that occurred to me when I woke up was, ‘wow. What the hell, Rose.’’

 

Finn chuckled. ‘Yeah. I understand exactly where you’re coming from.’

 

‘And about us?’ asked Rose, looking at Finn and then glancing down again quickly.

 

‘I don’t know,’ said Finn. ‘I think you’re wonderful and smart and brave…. and you saved my life. But I don’t know you much outside of a high stakes situation and I want to know you when we aren’t trying to save a whole bunch of people.’

 

Rose laughed. ‘Fair enough. I’d like to get to know you as well, Finn. Now that I’m not awestruck anymore.’

 

Finn pretended to lean back in shock. ‘Oh no. However will I cope?’ he asked.

 

‘I think you’ll manage,’ said Rose, giving him an assessing look and gifting him with another dimpled smile.

 

Finn smiled back happily. ‘Guess I will. Oh, hey…. General Organa wants to stop in and see you… and she’s bringing Lando Calrissian with her.’

 

Rose released Finn’s hand to flap both hers in the air. ‘Oh my goodness! Lando Calrissian? <i>The</i> Lando Calrissian?’

 

Finn’s smile widened. ‘The one and only. General Calrissian from the Battle of Endor.’

 

‘How is this my life?’ asked Rose, her voice rising. ‘I wish…. I wish Paige was here. She wouldn’t believe it!’

 

‘I wish she was, too,’ said Finn. ‘I’m really sorry, Rose.’

 

Rose swallowed, her eyes bright. ‘Thanks, Finn. She would have liked you a lot. Well, the you that figured out running away wasn’t going to save anyone you cared about.’

 

‘No, you taught me that. And you were right, Rose. We fight to save the ones we love. I have Rey and Poe and General Organa…. and maybe you,’ said Finn gently, reaching out and smoothing Rose’s hair back from her face.

 

‘That’s a good start, then,’ said Rose, nodding decisively. ‘What do I have to do to get cleaned up around here? I don’t want to meet them looking like a nerf herder.’

 

‘Let me see what I can do about that. I’ll be right back,’ said Finn.

 

‘OK,’ said Rose, still smiling. ‘I’ll uh, be right here.’

 

Later that day, after Rose had been escorted to a refresher and she’d gratefully taken her time and scrubbed herself thoroughly and washed her hair, Leia and Lando came to her room along with Finn.

 

‘Hey, Rose…. this is Leia and this is Lando,’ introduced an amused Finn. He watched as Rose’s eyes widened and a tremulous smile appeared.

 

‘You’re the one I have to thank for knocking some sense into this one’s head,’ said Leia, warmly. ‘Literally, even.’

 

Rose giggled and then looked horrified.

 

Leia laughed, a warm friendly sound that eased Rose’s expression. ‘It’s good to know we can still laugh despite the odds.’

 

‘Paige always said I laughed way too much,’ said Rose.

 

‘Siblings always like to say stuff like that,’ said Leia. ‘Luke used to say I was too bossy. Could you imagine that?’ She shot a sly look at Lando who rolled his eyes in response.

 

‘Imagine my shock,’ replied Lando, dryly.

 

‘But our siblings know us best, don’t they?’ asked Leia, nodding with Rose. ‘I’m sorry to hear of your sister’s death. Please know that her sacrifice did not go unnoticed and that we would rather she still be with us today’

 

‘Thank you,’ said Rose, softly. ‘I wish she was still here, too.’

 

‘She’d be proud of you, though…. fighting for the Resistance,’ said Leia.

 

‘I’m sorry,’ blurted out Rose.

 

Leia raised her eyebrows and said, ‘What for?’

 

Rose took a deep breath, closed her eyes and then opened them again. ‘For messing everything up…. for being captured…. for not thinking…. for exposing the escape pods and for more deaths… I can’t make that up but I can try.’

 

‘You weren’t the one who sold us out to the First Order. That wasn’t your decision,’ said Leia.

 

‘I should have thought this through though. I should have thought how I would be able to infiltrate a First Order ship…. and get to the tracker without being noticed… I should have taken the time but I was so caught up in wanting to shut it down…. I had tunnel vision,’ said Rose.

 

‘We all get tunnel vision from time to time,’ said Leia. She came closer and sat down next to Rose, taking Rose’s chin between gentle fingers. ‘You recognize yours, own it, and have learned from it. That’s all I ask.’

 

‘I’m still sorry. There were so many losses that didn’t need to be,’ whispered Rose.

 

Leia laid her hand against Rose’s cheek. ‘There were a series of events that happened. You can only be responsible for your part in it. I would never ask you to shoulder the responsibility of others’ decisions.’

 

Rose just gazed at Leia’s face, her lips quivering, and then threw herself into Leia’s arms, tucking her head under Leia’s chin.

 

Leia patted her back, gently. ‘It’s OK. We’re safe and we’ll figure out what to do next…. hope isn’t lost.’

 

‘Oh! I’m so sorry!’ cried Rose, jerking back, her face wet from tears and red with embarrassment. 

 

‘You have nothing to apologize for. It’s been pretty traumatic for all of us,’ said Leia, smiling encouragingly.

 

‘What’s next?’ asked Rose, looking from Leia to Lando, her gaze sharpening. ‘Do you have an idea of what needs to be done?’

 

Lando handed Rose a box of tissues which she took from him gratefully, blowing her nose and then wiping her eyes with a couple she pulled from the box.

 

‘We have an idea but we wanted to see what you thought,’ said Lando. ‘From what Poe and Finn told me, you knew what the First Order had done…. without any of the knowledge that Leia and Vice Admiral Holdo had.’

 

‘It was common sense,’ explained Rose. ‘If they could track us through hyperspace, then they had to have some sort of technology to do so. And it would have to be on one of the ships in front.’

 

‘That’s why you went on the ship,’ said Lando.

 

‘Exactly. We wanted to shut it down and then give everyone time to jump to lightspeed and escape. Finn said he knew how to get us away…. we’d catch up later,’ said Rose.

 

Leia nodded. ‘That makes perfect sense when you look at it from that point of view.’

 

‘It does?’ asked Rose.

 

‘It does,’ said Leia, reassuringly. ‘But there were so many variables you both could not control. The largest being how you could make your way to the tracker without being discovered first.’

 

‘Yeah. That part,’ said Rose, glumly. She wiped a few more tears away. ‘Paige always said that I was really great at what I did but that I tend to not think of the details. Forest for the trees sort of thing. She was always better at the details.’

 

‘Sounds like you were an unbeatable team,’ said Leia, smiling.

 

‘Sometimes. We teamed up sometimes…. her interests weren’t the same as mine, mostly. But we took care of each other,’ said Rose. ‘Kids figured out pretty quick not to mess with us.’

 

‘Finn found out the hard way, too. Poe said he couldn’t feel his teeth,’ chuckled Leia. She glanced over at Finn who rolled his eyes and blushed.

 

Lando cackled while Rose grinned guiltily; she might have given her taser a bit extra juice.

 

‘What can I do for the both of you?’ asked Rose, fidgeting and trying her best to look dignified.

 

‘We would like your help in reverse engineering their technology,’ said Lando, promptly. ‘How can we counteract their tracker? We need to be able to come and go through hyperspace. It was the only way to evade and escape the Empire and now the First Order in the past.’

 

‘Hmmmm….’ Rose immediately forgot about dignity and allowed her brain to instead think about engineering and engines and power sources.

 

‘I’m going to have to think on it. How much time do we have?’ asked Rose, bluntly. ‘I’m feeling pretty good now. I’d like to start on this as soon as possible.’

 

‘We have about two weeks more. Then we need to find a new base,’ said Leia. ‘We have some options but we need to be able to jump to safe places without the First Order tracking us.’

 

‘OK. Do you have any ideas yet? Anyone draw up any schematics or diagrams?’ asked Rose, gazing at Leia and Lando.

 

‘I think a couple of our other engineer people are on it. Would you like to meet with them tomorrow?’ asked Lando.

 

‘Absolutely!’ chirped Rose. ‘We can put our heads together and figure this out.’

 

‘It took them a long time to make their technology work,’ warned Leia. ‘Back when the first Death Star was made.’

 

Rose blew her breath out explosively and shook her head determinedly. ‘We just have to figure out how to counter it. We don’t have to redo it.’

 

‘I hope not,’ murmured Leia. ‘Thank you, Rose. We really appreciate your help.’

 

‘Oh…. you’re welcome. It’s the least I can do. I want to help and make things better,’ said Rose.

 

‘I have no doubt in my mind that you will,’ replied Leia. ‘We’ll leave you alone, now. I look forward to talking to you tomorrow.’

 

‘It was lovely meeting you, Rose. I’ll send you a note when I get the meeting set up with my engineers,’ said Lando.

 

Rose smiled happily. ‘It was my pleasure. Thank you again. I…. I can’t tell you enough.’

 

Leia hugged Rose again and Lando squeezed her hand and they left, leaving Rose to look incredulously at Finn.

 

‘Finn…. please tell me I’m not dreaming!’ gasped Rose.

 

‘You’re not dreaming,’ reassured Finn. ‘Aren’t they amazing?’

 

‘They totally are! I can’t wait to see what they’ve been working on!’ exclaimed Rose. Her eyes sparkled and there was pink in her cheeks. She looked very different from the wan person Finn saw yesterday.

 

‘I know you’ll help them figure it out. And then…. we’ll go to a safe place. And we’ll figure out what to do next. We just need this breather,’ said Finn confidently, his smile widening to a grin.

 

‘You think so?’ asked Rose, twisting her hands together, her fingers twining.

 

‘I know so,’ said Finn firmly, reaching out and gently untangling her hands, holding them in his own.

 

‘Thank you,’ said Rose.

 

‘No, thank you,’ said Finn. ‘You remind me constantly why I shouldn’t ever give up hope. And I know you need time before talking to Poe but I want you to know that Poe, Rey, and me have a space for you in our place. We’re saving it for you.’

 

‘That’s so sweet of you,’ murmured Rose. ‘I just need some more time. I’d love to meet Rey though… is she really a Jedi?’ 

 

‘She’s Rey,’ replied Finn with a rueful smile. ‘You’ll see what I mean when you finally do get to meet her. She’s busy right now with the Porgs.’

 

‘What’s a Porg?’ asked Rose.

 

Finn just laughed.

 

**

 

Rose bent over the design sheets, absentmindedly stroking the Porg who’d plopped down next to them. It nibbled at her fingers and she laughed, smoothing the feathers down its back.

 

Finn frowned as he studied one sheet, moving his fingertips over the writing. ‘Uh…. what am I looking at?’

 

‘You’re looking at the solution to our problem,’ said Rose triumphantly, pumping a hand in the air.

 

‘Woot!’ exclaimed Finn.

 

The Porg looked at Finn and rustled its small wings. ‘Woogh!’ it copied.

 

Rose giggled and then traced a line from one part of the diagram to the other. ‘This is a scrambling device. We fit our ships with it, it will scramble the tracker. We will become invisible to them.’

 

‘A scrambling device…. you are a genius, Rose!’ shouted Finn, grabbing Rose’s hands and twirling around in giddy circles with her.

 

Rose laughed as the Porg raised its own wings and garbled happy noises of its own.

 

‘So can we build a few of them? Will it be expensive? We will need to build some for all of our ships,’ pointed out Finn.

 

‘Definitely. We can build what we need now. It doesn’t cost a lot and what it costs, Lando is going to pay so we don’t have to worry about that…. and we’ll have spare ones for future ships. Plus, since we know how to build them on our frigate, we just need the supplies. And we can get those on supply runs,’ explained Rose.

 

‘So when do we leave?’ asked Finn.

 

‘We need another week. Then we can go to the base that Leia was telling us about. It’s safe and in a place Kylo hasn’t ever heard of. He wouldn’t know the defenses… and it gives us time to find a more permanent place. We’ll rebuild and start over again,’ said Rose, smiling up at Finn.

 

‘Is Lando still insisting on coming with us?’ asked Finn.

 

Rose rolled her eyes. ‘Despite Leia’s strenuous objections, he is going to pilot a smaller ship with his own crew. He wants to make sure the scrambling devices are working right and he wants to make sure we settle in OK.’

 

‘He’s being a big ol’ mother hen,’ said Finn. He chuckled and then added, ‘But that’s OK. We deserve a little mother henning after what we’ve been through.’

 

‘Mmm-hmmm,’ agreed Rose. She let go of Finn’s hands and turned back to the diagrams, shuffling them together expertly. ‘I’m going to bring these to Leia. She wanted me to double check and make sure the schematics were correct before we began making them.’

 

‘Awesome. Thanks for asking me to stop by. I’ve gotta go help Poe get one of the X-wings going the way he wants. BB-8 has been awful snarky with him and he’s losing patience,’ said Finn.

 

Rose nodded. ‘He’s lucky to have you. I’ll see you later, OK?’

 

‘Absolutely. What is that Porg’s name, anyway? I know Rey has been naming them. She has one named ‘Han’ and another named ‘Nerf Herder.’ I think ‘Nerf Herder’ is Leia’s.’

 

‘This is ‘Paige.’ After my sister,’ said Rose. She smiled wistfully at the Porg who waddled towards her and raised its wings. Rose picked Paige up and cuddled her close.

 

Finn stared and then slowly smiled, his smile widening as Paige began cooing at Rose. ‘Looks like you two were meant to be.’

 

Rose wrinkled her nose at Finn. ‘Go on, don’t you have somewhere to be?’ She laughed when Finn staggered back, clutching his chest, mock-hurt expression on his face.

 

Finn laughed as well and then left.

 

Rose buried her nose in the soft feathers on the back of Paige’s neck. ‘It’s going to be OK. Leia says we have hope and we have each other. That’s more than lots others have.’

 

Paige chirruped and nestled against Rose’s body, rubbing her small ahead against Rose’s chin.

 

Rose sighed and then shifted Paige so she could pick up the small neat pile of blueprints and walked out of the room.

 

Rose shifted Paige again as she knocked on Leia’s door. She didn’t have to wait long before the door opened and Leia smiled at Rose. 

 

‘Hello! I believe you have something for me,’ said Leia, gesturing for Rose to come inside.

 

‘I do!’ Rose busied herself for a moment, setting Paige down and putting the schematics on the table in the middle of the room. It was already overflowing with stacks of paper, a tablet, and a plate with the half eaten remainders of a sandwich on it.

 

‘I should have eaten more but I got busy with looking over everything else,’ confessed Leia, picking up the plate and walking it into the kitchen.

 

‘That’s OK. I ate while I worked,’ said Rose. ‘I don’t have the luxury these days to sit down for a long time. I’m either working on this or answering questions about other things we’re planning.’

 

‘Are you being run ragged? I can put in a word,’ said Leia, her brow wrinkling as she walked back into the room.

 

‘No… no, it’s OK. I just want us to be safe. I want a breather so we can figure out what to do next. I want the First Order <i>gone </i>.’ Rose’s eyes sparked with a light that Leia understood. She’d seen that same gleam in her own eyes more than once.

 

‘I do, too. Just don’t work too hard. There are others to help pick up the slack,’ reminded Leia. She walked over to the table and looked down at the blueprints, looking through them slowly.

 

Rose sat down and watched Paige and Nerfherder chase each other around the room, ruffling their feathers at each other and squawking with all the dignity their rotund bodies could manage. It was an effort but Rose managed not to laugh at them; she bit down on her lip harder than normal.

 

‘These look great, Rose. You’ve put so much work and detail into them. The engineers are impressed. I’d heard Lando was thinking about stealing you away from us. I told him he better not. Rose belongs with us,’ said Leia with a smile. ‘Of course, I was teasing. Rose, you’ve more than done your share to help us. If you wanted to stay here and work, I wouldn’t stop you.’

 

‘Oh,’ breathed Rose. She blinked up at Leia and thought of how she’d cried herself to sleep every night after Paige died. She thought of how she’d hated the Resistance for a short time, how she wished it would all have crashed and burned like Paige’s ship. Her grief made her reckless and angry. 

 

Rose had been so thrilled to meet Finn and then…. then, when she figured out he was going to leave, to flee from the Resistance who had taken him in, she felt nothing but rage and disappointment. She flicked the control as high as it could safely go and felt only satisfaction when she brought it down on Finn’s arm.

 

But then, then they left and she showed Finn the rotten underbelly of Canto Bight and she was reminded again of why she and Paige joined the Resistance as soon as they could. She remembered why she was so proud to be part of the Resistance and she knew that Paige chose to fight to the very end.

 

It hurt, it still hurts so much not to have her sister to talk to but now she has Finn and her Porg and Rey and Leia and even Poe who stays away from her but waits patiently for Rose to talk to him. She has people who understand her grief and who help her through it every day.

 

She thinks about staying here, amongst Lando’s people. She could work and be content, she knew. But she’d always be someplace else in her head; her feelings would be with these people she’s come to think of as friends. She couldn’t stay here and watch them go without her.

 

‘I really appreciate it. Thank you. But I want to stay with you. I want to see this through. Paige would want to see the First Order destroyed. I want to do this for me and for her,’ answered Rose.

 

‘If you’re sure, I hope you know we would be happy to have you stay,’ said Leia. ‘But if you change your mind, that’s fine, too. We wouldn’t be angry. We’d miss you but we’d understand.’

 

Rose swallowed and looked at Leia directly, her own eyes steady. ‘No. I’ve made my decision. I’m with the Resistance to the end.’

 

‘OK. We’re going to start building these and we’ll put them on the ships that Lando is providing us. Then we’ve got to go. I don’t want to stay here too much longer. We need to get to our base and we need to find a safe place to settle. Lando has some ideas,’ said Leia.

 

‘He always has ideas. Scoundrels are like that,’ teased Rose. She laughed when Leia shook her head in amusement, her eyes soft with memories.

 

**

 

‘It’s time,’ said Finn. He stood between Rose and Rey, his arms around each of their shoulders. 

 

Rey leaned into him and smiled. ‘I wonder where we’re going. No one has said anything.’

 

‘Best we don’t know,’ said Finn. ‘We’ll find out when we get there.’

 

Rose reached up and patted Finn’s arm. ‘Poe must be ecstatic to be back in an X-wing.’

 

‘He is. BB-8 and him went over every inch of his and then spent time painting it the same exact colour as his old one.’

 

Rey rolled her eyes. ‘Here’s my unsurprised face.’

 

Rose and Rey shared amused looks; Rose had taken to Rey’s fierce independence as much as Rey had liked Rose’s lack of formality and bluntness. Rose felt like Rey was the sister she’d never met. She knew Paige would have loved Rey as well.

 

‘Lando’s checked in…. our medical ship has checked in…. all of our remaining pilots. I think Leia’s a little scared,’ whispered Finn.

 

‘Because of what happened?’ asked Rose.

 

‘Yeah. I mean, she lost her brother the last time…. she lost her husband and her son…. who’s next?’ answered Finn, his voice breaking at the end.

 

‘It’ll be OK, Finn. It’s OK to be scared. But we’re still gonna go and we’re going to find people who want to join us…. we’re not done yet. Poe said we’re the ones who will keep the flame lit.’ Rey nodded at the medical frigate that floated regally next to their ship. ‘We named this ship ‘Hope’ and that’s who we are. We’re hope to everyone in the galaxy who’s suffered under the First Order.’

 

‘Wait and see,’ said Rose, squeezing Finn’s waist. ‘We’re not done yet.’

 

They all heard Leia’s voice throughout the ship. She spoke with the quiet certainty of someone who would be listened to. She was a princess, a senator, a general, a doctor, and a Force user. And there was power and vulnerability in her voice that touched all of them.

 

‘After unimaginable losses, we are once again ready to join the fight. We grieve for our lost and loved ones. We remember them and honour them as we turn towards the future. It is in our hands. We hold the flame, the hope for the galaxy. The First Order must be destroyed. And we must be the ones to do so. Never lose heart. The Force is with us. Always.’

 

Finn sighed as the tension left his body. Rey nodded and Rose wiped tears away. 

 

They all watched as the stars blurred around them. In moments, three ships and a small squadron of X-wings jumped to hyperspace. They left no trace of their passage behind.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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